Cinemart Cinemas

I am sitting in theatre 5. No light on in the theatre before the start of the movie. Some rows not swept. I know it’s dark so why bother. Yes, we asked for light. I guess why bother, the movie will eventually start.
This really is the last time. Even for six dollars.

We are new to the neighborhood but have been to Cinemart many times now. We actually had our son’s birthday party here. The party itself was ok, they never did put the boys name on the marquee like they said they would so that was a little disappointing but the price was fantastic (we also had a package with the café next door so we could have pizza, drinks and cake after the movie). Overall it was a good birthday party option but I would say better for older children (maybe 7 and up?)
As far as regular movie experience, it’s a low frills theater but that also means less previews and incredibly fair prices! Which we LOVE! I have gone to many movies with and without my kids and consider it a neighborhood gem.
I do have one suggestion for management though. If you’re going to offer a free small popcorn you should offer some kind of upgrade fee (for example, upgrade to a medium for $ 1 or to a large for $ 2 or $ 3). I hear people asking for this option while I wait and it seems like it would be a good option and a way to upsell on concessions!

Cheap tickets, free popcorn, exclusive films; what more can you ask for?
I loved this quaint little movie theater located on Metropolitan avenue. The theater is surrounded by «mom and pop» shops and restaurants. Right across the street from the beloved Eddie’s Sweet Shop, Cinemart is an awesome neighborhood cinema to go to when you want to stay low-​key and watch a film without all the frills and crowds in coventional movie chains.

Suffered for the «Suffragette»!!!
On 11÷7÷15 at 12pm my parents and I decided to go to one of our local theaters we have patronized since I was a little girl, Cinemart Cinemas. I hope this review isn’t too late.
During previews and commercials, the projector and image on screen was sharp and crisp. The projector seemed broken, however, when the film started. Everything was soft and out of focus.
I left the theatre and I told the concession guy a few minutes into the film. About twenty minutes later it was the same.
I went back out to the lobby to see the status of repair. I was told by a younger employee in the ticket booth that there’s «nothing wrong with the movie.» I said «I work in entertainment and I have two eyes. Everything is soft. The actors, the foreground and background, all lower thirds, subtitles and text.» He then revealed that «The movie was sent to us this way»
I was encountered by a more senior staffer named Chris who told me «there’s nothing we can do.» I asked for the manager on duty. The manager, named Frank, all of a sudden appeared. As Chris tried to placate and diminish my grievances, Frank went to check the film in the theatre.
I continued my frustrating conversation with Chris and explained to him that «You’re taking advantage of customers by selling a film that is faulty. Including senior citizens and my visually impaired mother in the second row.»
Chris told me that Frank the manager «Only works on weekends.» I asked «So what does that have to do with you selling a tickets to a film that is out of focus?»
Frank came back and combatively tried to deny the film is out of focus. I explained the subtitles and lower thirds as proof. He said what «Subtitles?»
I said «When they have any text on screen it is soft. Hence London, 1910 is completely blurred.»
Frank asked with visible hostility if I wanted a refund. I said «Yes and would you like me to pick that up after the film?»
He had the audacity to tell me he «Wouldn’t refund my money unless I left the movie.»
I was shocked and replied «Excuse me? I cannot believe you’re arguing with me when you just admitted that the film was broken upon receiving the reel. This would never happen at a United Artist theatre or any of your competitors. You should be ashamed of yourself and I have been coming here since I was five years old.»
He went to hand me the cash and I asked him «Would like me to drag my senior, visually impaired parents out of the second row to get the $ 18 refund you just handed me?» He sheepishly said «No,» without looking me in the eyes.
Before the cash was handed to me I asked «This is how you manage? What an example you’re setting in front of your younger staff. You’re a disgrace and have zero professionalism. I can’t believe you’ve all admitted that you’re selling tickets to a broken film to senior citizens and loyal neighborhood patrons.» I left enraged and I will never again patronize that theatre in my entire life.
After reading my review and how the Cinemart takes advantage of their neighborhood customers without a second thought, I hope you will do the same and not be lured in by the promise of their free, stale popcorn.
To channel my inner Alanis Morrisette, isn’t it ironic that I was spoken down to and threatened by all of the male staff at the Cinemart Cinemas whilst attending a soft focus screening of «The Suffragette»? #FightThePower

went here twice the place is great i first came here to see the gift and it was a great theater. The place is small and a little empty maybe because they get movies later than they come out but the place has a great deal free popcorn with purchase of a movie and the drinks and refreshments are cheap as well a great place for a not so expensive date with some good service the lights don’t go off too much during the movie but thats the only flaws

Good ol fashioned movie theatre, great prices & now even better movies. Great for neighborhood folks

A girlfriend has a voucher that will be expiring soon on this place that needs a disposal. We know even before we set a movie date to this place that it is a second run theater. Less expectations has been raised.
The theater has 7 cinema. Each cinema is small in dimension comparable to standard theaters. Screen is higher from my viewpoint or either my chair is low. The movie we watched has been out for more than a month already but it was a fun movie so it doesn’t bother us the theater size. Sound may not be the best surround sound but acceptable enough to enjoy the movie.
The admission price is very reasonable and has free popcorn on the side. The employees are nice. It has an acceptable lobby. The location is in a very good neighborhood.
It’s quite a drive from where I live but I am willing to come back if the movie playing is worth watching. My way of supporting a local business.

Four stars! Other than the eerie feeling I get walking around this movie theatre (through the bathroom/​hallways), it really has an authentic old school vibe. This is a great cheap date spot where the movie tickets are affordable and the popcorn is awesome and super cheap/​buttery. They can definitely tweak the screen and/​or update the projectors to enhance the visual aspects but again, it fits the authentic old school vibe. Also there’s a local bistro next door, Edy’s sweet shop down the block and also a hookah lounge. This is a great date spot and I hope it never closes! I would give it 5 stars but it’s a little dusty and needs some repairs.

Let me see, movies normally cost $ 200 per person, that includes food, of course I’m being sarcastic but you get my point.
To go to the movie theater either by yourself or with family is fucking expensive. It’s almost like you have to take out a small loan to enjoy a flick, so much that people tend to just wait for it to come out on Netflix (guilty), but this place allows you to cut the cost a bit and enjoy a show and a free bag of popcorn (yes I said free).
Okay so the downfall in all this awesome saving money crap? These movies are on their last stretch, final showings until they pop up on dvd. That can be a benefit however.
For one, no lines. People already saw these movies at those ridiculously expensive theaters so you don’t have to worry about lines and seating.
Second you get a free bag of popcorn, as a thanks from the place for attending.
Third, seeing it’s not one of those major theaters, the theater rooms are relatively quiet. No annoying people to interrupt your show, no kids (usually) kicking your chair, no phone junkies distracting you with their text messages, lights, or annoying ring tones. Just piece and quiet and the movie. How it should be.
Not for those who loves big name theaters, this place makes you feel like your in a small town where every body knows your name.
By the way, this place isn’t the cleanest of the bunch, I don’t know what people expect for cheap, they don’t have a shit load of employees, they don’t have people standing at the concession stand. I think I only saw two people working there the day I went. Not for everyone but if you just want to see the movie for a good deal, this is it.

Such a beautiful, small town movie theater. Makes you feel like you are visiting from out of town.
Complementary popcorn? Yes!
Such a great neighborhood spot if you are not looking to go on a huge movie fest at one of the bigger theaters.
An entire family can actually afford to go to the theater here.

Came in to watch Furious 7. Tickets were only $ 6 bucks each before 5pm. If you buy online, there’s an additional $ 1 service charge. After reading some of the recent events and news about Cinemart Cinemas, I really wanted to come and support their business. I’ve been living in Forest Hills for the past several years and never considered coming to this theater simply because all of their movies were always old and played out. I could see why they were on the verge of closing. Their amenities are awful!
The men’s room floor is upstairs and had a army of ants marching all over the tiles. The refreshment stand had a butt load of popcorn that looks like it’s been there for days. No hot dogs or nachos, just some candy and chocolates. Their trash bin was also overfilled. The floors throughout the theater reminded me of the floors in Shea Stadium… oh so sticky! After I sat down in theater #2 before the movie began, I started to feel my left leg itch. My wife and I turned on the flash lights on our smartphones and observed the entire place and it was disgusting. There were popcorn scattered all over the floors, stains on the seats, and mind you, this was the first show of the day! How could it possibly be this dirty before we got here? I find it hard to believe that there was a full house before Furious 7 began because I bought my tickets 2 hours before the show started and the theater was deserted then and deserted again when we came back for showtime. The staff here obviously show no effort in keeping their work stations clean or bother to sweep and vacuum the ground floors.
Verdict — It’s hard to beat $ 6 dollar matinée tickets but seriously, you’re telling me you can’t empty the trash bin, sweep and vacuum the floors in between each show in a theater this empty? And to make matters worse, the air circulation in here sucks. The central air unit wasn’t even turned on! Being a small theater is no excuse. The theater in Kew Gardens does a better job at maintaining their appearances. Cinemart Cinemas had a big night with American Sniper to save their business, now that it is saved, are they just going back to their old ways by keeping things filthy, employing immature staff members and showing months old movies? I was more than just disappointed. I hope things turn around for them soon, otherwise they’re going to bite the dust just like every other small theaters that once existed in Forest Hills.

If you enjoy going to the movies and:
–don’t want to be poor the next day,
–don’t want to wait on line for concessions for a half hour for them to not have what you wanted and then get a watered down soda,
–don’t like people’s feral little beast children interrupting your movie with their shenanigans,
–and don’t like super packed theaters where you know someone is going to piss you off,
Then this is the place for you.
My boyfriend and I can do an entire date night between the theater, concessions, and dinner next door for about $ 25 – 30 less than if we were to go to a more commercial theater and a chain restaurant. Plus, it comes without the aggravation and the subsequent request to get sterilized immediately after.
We had somewhat forgotten about this place, but recently rediscovered it, and have been going back repeatedly since then. You should do the same.

I visited this theater for the first time last weekend. I must say althought it is significantly smaller than AMC or Whitestone Cinemas, it was still a pleasurable experience. I purchased a groupon which included 2 tix and a large popcorn. The theater is a bit outdated but overall I was satisfied. I was surprised to see that the theater was actually bigger than anticipated. The staff was polite and for the price I could not complain. Would be a shame to see this place go out of business.

It’s the kind of so-​so movie theater where you go and feel good about supporting a local business but also can totally tell why it’s on its last legs. It does have a sort of hometown charm to it, and if I lived in the neighborhood like a lot of the 4– and 5-​star reviewers, I would probably be gushing about it. But because it’s pretty remote for me, and I won’t likely be going again, I can write more objectively.
First off, the movie selections are great. No complaints there, and of course the pricing is very nice. Looking at the shows playing right now, all of them except maybe one are tremendous movies, and I love that they’re showing Oscar-​winners, particularly the Best Foreign Film winner, Ida. You gotta respect that.
The concessions and just the whole environs are lacking though. My popcorn was stale. The flooring and carpet are unattractive. There are long stretches of bare wall where festive movie-​related decorations should be. Given that they were on the verge of closing, it doesn’t seem like those things are going to get any better. The theater is also very remote. Given that I live in LIC, I would not come here unless I had a ride from the subway or LIRR station (which I did when I saw Birdman for the second time here a few weeks ago).
On top of those more concrete things I can point to, I can’t fully explain it, but the audience was not my cup of tea. People who go to a lot of movies will probably know about I mean about appreciating theaters that attract good audiences, and the audience here lacks energy. It’s not just about age bias — AMC Loews Lincoln square has an older than average movie audience, too, and yet it’s hands-​down a veritable movie-lover’s theater.
I would only really recommend checking out the theater if you live in the neighborhood. If you’re looking for a charming theater deep into E/​F line Queens, I would recommend springing for Kew Gardens Cinema.

As other reviewers have pointed out, Cinemart was recently in the news begging, BEGGING, people to show up to save their theater from closing. Well, I did, and unfortunately, this may not be as much a case of the big guy eating the little guy as it is the little guy reaping what he sows.

During my experience at Cinemart, there were four significant things that needed to be fixed — none of which were the fault of anything other than neglect from the owners.

First, the screen was improperly laid, resulting in the lower right quarter of the screen literally having waves in it, like air bubbles in improperly laid lamination.

Second, the projector was improperly lined up with the screen, resulting in an off-​center image. As a result, we were unable to read certain titles, and half the movie’s image was projected on to the wall.

Third, the speakers were either blown, or sounded like it, which resulted in a loud buzz/​hum noise that persisted throughout the length of the movie.

Fourth, the emergency lights that are kept on throughout the movie are just too bright. I know every theater keeps a minimal amount of light on during the movies, probably to comply with a law that requires it, but Cinemart’s were just too bright. It was literally watching a movie with the lights on.

This sucks because I’d love to say «go out and support a local independent theater,» but Cinemart just isn’t doing a good enough job to lure movie-​goers away from bigger corporate theaters. The corporate theaters are simply giving a better movie going experience.

Things like the problems I mentioned or other reviewers have mentioned (broken seats, etc) are things that require fixing and are either cheap or free to fix — or are part of the cost of doing business. If Cinemart wants people to support their theater, they absolutely have to give people a reason to do so other than they’re independent. If they don’t fix these issues and they do ultimately go under, they’ll only have themselves to blame.

Cinemart was in the news recently with a fascinating Big Night-​style storyline. Financially struggling, it somehow got a rare chance to show a first-​run movie, and if its run of «American Sniper» was a success, this would encourage the studios to let Cinemart get some first-​run product. After packed houses the owner said they would stay open.
If the act of seeing a movie counts as a good deed, well that’s the sort of socially conscious move that even a lazy person like me can support, so I ventured out to Forest Hills.
The Cinemart isn’t in the best shape. My seat was broken. I also didn’t like the decision to start the movie at around three minutes after the scheduled start time, since the culture of excessive trailers has taught me it’s safe to arrive late.
It’s different to complain on Unilocal about, say, a wine bar. If it disappears, hundreds of others will remain. But it’s different with the dwindling number of small, independent movie theaters. The Utopia, where I saw «E.T.,» closed, as did dozens of others in Queens. Even bustling Forest Hills has seen multiple casualties in the wake of the Midway’s expansion, with the Forest Hills Twin, Trylon, the Brandon and that other one on Austin vanishing during my moviegoing lifetime.
So I’m not comfortable giving a bad rating, but there is room for improvement. On the plus side, the regular price is $ 9 and they have a couple of $ 6 nights. And I like it when the Cinemart provides a last chance to catch up movies that have been bounced from the Angelika by newer Sundance sensations. Since they probably made only $ 27 from that screening of «The Sound of My Voice» I attended, I have to thank the Cinemart for hanging in there.
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A gem of a theater and totally affordable.
Bring the family, plenty of parking in the neighborhood and the place will not put a dent on the kids education fund!
Please support this theater and show your neighborhood pride

You can’t beat the prices, and you won’t!
It’s an incredibly intimate, very little staff, classic theatre (or old, if you wanna be a dick about it!)
*No modern amenities!
*No 3D bulls – t!
*No D-​box!
*No Recliners!
*No kids all up in your face!
*Never, ever over crowded, in fact half the time I go I’m the only one in the theatre.
And I love it, just movies, candy, popcorn, and soda. All reasonably priced.
***LONG LIVE CINEMART!***
May they never, ever, ever become a loud, over crowded, annoying, smelly, chain theatre!

Pros:
— We went on a weekday before 1PM and the ticket prices were $ 6 for adults!!! It’s usually $ 9, which is relatively cheap already.
— Medium popcorn was $ 3.75 — cheap!
— All in all, awesome prices :)
— Nice staff
Cons:
— Small theater, but the screen was an okay size
— Could’ve been a bit cleaner
— Bathroom was a no no for me; it didn’t smell

As far back as I can recall, The Cinemart has been a staple of Metropolitan Ave entertainment. Growing up a child of the 70’s where spending on entertainment was not very common, a trip to the movies was a rare treat. If we were really well behaved an Eddie’s Sweet Shop sugar cone would likely follow. (Star Wars, Jaws and The Temple of Doom were a few classics I enjoyed here.)
There were only two movies being shown at a time, long before smaller theaters went multiplex and carved up the interiors into smaller sections. The concession stand was tremendous to me in size, all glass, all lit up like a car dealership, my snack preferance remained consistent. A combination of extra buttered popcorn and Whoppers (malt chocolate balls) all mixed together.
Fast forward to current times, almost nothing has changed inside or out but concession stand items and the picture show being played. The ticket booth person is not very friendly, the screens picture is good the sound quality is very good. The foyer area is always very dark. Wether to prepare movie goers for the impending darkness or adapting those leaving to the outside, I’m sure there is a method to the madness.
When I was young I thought the ‘C’ which is a strip of film in the spelling of Cinemart was a snake which used to terrify me.